I'm fairly certain you need an address in the country you want to set up an account in, and probably some utility bills too, but check the eligibility criteria on the application form of any bank you are considering, it might be spelled out there.

I had friends who came to work in Ireland last summer and got work OK, but bit of hassle getting paid as employer wanted an account to pay into, but bank wouldn't give them one coz they hadn't utility bills with their names on it.

you do not need a uk address to open a uk bank account.
not sure if you can do it by post or not but you will need to provide

2 proofs of address (bank statement from a bank with your irish address, credit card statement with same irish address or any other suitable proofs)
1 valid proof of identity (irish passport will do) having 2 forms of id will also help ( e.g driving licence)

RBS offered me to open a bank account on my irish address when i first moved over here as i had no proof of address in the uk ( this is how i know its possible )

other banks have some ridiculous policies, for example needing to have 3 years uk banking history before they will even talk to you.....

you do not need a uk address to open a uk bank account.
not sure if you can do it by post or not but you will need to provide

2 proofs of address (bank statement from a bank with your irish address, credit card statement with same irish address or any other suitable proofs)
1 valid proof of identity (irish passport will do) having 2 forms of id will also help ( e.g driving licence)

RBS offered me to open a bank account on my irish address when i first moved over here as i had no proof of address in the uk ( this is how i know its possible )

other banks have some ridiculous policies, for example needing to have 3 years uk banking history before they will even talk to you.....

FT

I was in the same position as you when i first moved to the uk. As i was attending university the banks were 'oddly' falling over themselves to set us up on campus.

While i think it is true that the uk banks are more consumer friendly in this aspect (i found it much harder to open a new acc after moving back) i dont think they will flat out open an account if you are permanent irish resident. Am i right in saying that you are now living in the uk?, i think they opened an acc for you based on the fact that you were or were going to be a resident in the uk for a significant amount of time.

I moved back to ireland a few years back and still hold an acc with lloyds tsb, got cc and isa with them also. I still go back to uk at least 4 times a year so its handy. They have my full time address in ireland and send all correspondence here. Having said this, i fear that if i (or my acc) was subjected to a more intense scrutiny they might ask for it to be closed. As it happens, im sure they are happy to take the 8.95 per month in acc fees out of my acc.

Im havent fully got my finger on the pulse of it these days regarding opening a new uk based acc but i am interested in the option of opening an ulster bank acc up north. Coincidentally, i just moved to them from halifax, opened an acc in 5 mins and had debit card through the post within a week. Does anyone know if ulster banks in the north hold the acc's in both euro and pound denominations?........all im asking here really is, would both ulster acc's have potential to be linked or is it straight up one euro acc in the south and one pound acc in the north?.......ie, 2 cards, one in euro, one in sterling, both with same permanent ROI address?

If anyone could clarify any of the above for me it would be much appreciated, allthough il probably pop into the branch early next week.

all im asking here really is, would both ulster acc's have potential to be linked or is it straight up one euro acc in the south and one pound acc in the north?.......ie, 2 cards, one in euro, one in sterling, both with same permanent ROI address?

While i think it is true that the uk banks are more consumer friendly in this aspect (i found it much harder to open a new acc after moving back) i dont think they will flat out open an account if you are permanent irish resident. Am i right in saying that you are now living in the uk?, i think they opened an acc for you based on the fact that you were or were going to be a resident in the uk for a significant amount of time.

i am currently living in the uk.
they did not inquire as to how long i intended to stay. i asked did i need to be resident to open the account and they said no. they said anyone can open an account as long as they meet the identificaiton citeria need for anti fraud measures.

i am currently living in the uk.
they did not inquire as to how long i intended to stay. i asked did i need to be resident to open the account and they said no. they said anyone can open an account as long as they meet the identificaiton citeria need for anti fraud measures.

Things have changed a bit so since i moved to the uk. How many banks did you try before RBS just out of interest?. Most of the banks require you to have a job and a lease agreement or have proof you will be a student for a full academic year etc before they will talk to you.

I was with natwest as a student but the account was opened on university campus, had that for 3 years, moved to lloyds tsb. Even with my 3 year history with natwest i had issues getting a new account. Had to get a friend to come in who was uk born and act as a guarantor on the account. (and i had been working for 36 months at that stage and had a national insurance number etc)